Yes I understand from my friends that they did use the Taupo long track. I have never ridden on the new Taupo track. My onboard racing interest faded someone after a highside on the old Taupo track which left me in hospital for two weeks with a broken pelvis. (Ouch!) I rode a few times after that but in my sixties I don't have the bravery (stupidity ??) any more
I do like the street circuits however because its like being a kid again and you dont really need to ride that fast to have a bit of fun. My biggest problem was my competiveness surpassed my talent !!! Im away in Romania working these days but had a few seasons with a guy called Tony McQueen on my bike. He is frankly a brilliant rider and cleaned up the 500 clubmans and two seconds in the NZ 500 TT on what was basically a clubmans bike. He lapped Pukekohe at 1 min 11 seconds on a clubmans 500 with an engine that hadnt been touched for two seasons.
PUKEKOHE PARK RACEWAY - NZ Classic Motorcycle Racing Reg. printed 3:35
EV 26: SENIOR TT UP TO 500 PRE 65
25 October 2009 Race No. 26 3:18pm to 3:33pm
POS. BIKE RIDER MAKE-OF-BIKE LAPS ELAPSED BEST-LAP DIFF.
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1ST 198 PAUL DOBBS BSA GOLDSTAR 12 14m21.94 1m10.93 +0.00s
2ND 500 TONY McQUEEN NORTON DOMI 12 14m26.35 1m11.09 +4.41s
3RD 64 SHANE LODGE NORTON ES2 12 15m01.39 1m13.53 +39.45s
4TH 85 GRAHAM PETERS BSA GOLDSTAR 12 15m19.45 1m14.84 +57.51s
5TH 101 COLIN TATE NORTON MANX 12 15m19.75 1m15.65 +57.81s
6TH 73 MURRAY DE LACY 11 14m24.20 1m17.15 +1 lap
7TH 14 JON WALL AJS 7R 11 15m30.50 1m22.55 +1 lap
8TH 71 KEVIN CASTERTON BSA GOLDSTAR 10 14m24.46 1m25.24 +2 laps
9TH 414 STUART METGE NORTON DOMINATOR 10 15m03.31 1m27.79 +2 laps
10TH 163 ANDREW KIDD NORTON 88 9 16m05.48 1m44.48 +3 laps
DNF 11 ROGER BOURNE NORTON MANX 9 14m07.02 1m32.17 +3 laps
DNF 88 SAM SMITH NORTON ES2 6 7m06.10# 1m10.12 +6 laps
Good at Taupo as well. I loved it when he was faster on the 500 Norton than his own H2. Same at Wanganui !!
TAUPO MOTORSPORT PARK - N.Z. Classic Motorcycle Racing Reg.
B E S T T I M E S 26 September 2010
No. EVENT CLASS TIME NAME BIKE
~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~
500 R1 GROUP1 1m18.77 TONY McQUEEN NORTON DOMINATOR
750 R6 GROUP6 1m19.48 TONY McQUEEN KAWASAKI H2
515 R7 GROUP1 1m20.98 JAMIE GALWAY NORTON WESLAKE
135 R7 GROUP1 1m21.16 WARREN MARSH MANX NORTON
233 R13 GROUP1 1m22.10 CHRIS SWALLOW BSA GOLD STAR
131 R13 GROUP1 1m22.10 JOHN CARTER MOTO MORINI 3.5
203 R15 GROUP3 1m23.34 VINCE BURRELL MOTO GUZZI
233 R18 GROUP6 1m23.34
315 R9 GROUP3 1m23.43 TERRY GALWAY NORTON NORTH REPLICA
201 R12 GROUP6 1m23.66 STEVE GROOM YAMAHA FZR
101 R15 GROUP3 1m24.95 COLIN TATE NORTON DOMINATOR
98 R4 GROUP4 1m25.02 NICK COLE TRIUMPH 3TA
23 R1 GROUP1 1m25.05 BRIAN BROOKS BSA GOLDSTAR 500
120 R9 GROUP3 1m25.15 ROY NORGROVE TRIUMPH T140
91 R13 GROUP1 1m25.19 LINDSAY KYLE COMET or DOMINATOR
40 R6 GROUP6 1m25.54 BRUCE SUTTON HONDA GB
278 R7 GROUP1 1m25.73 MICHAEL ROSS BSA B50MX
73 R1 GROUP1 1m25.99 MURRAY DE LACY TRIUMPH
185 R9 GROUP3 1m26.22 JOHNNY STEVENS TRIUMPH BONNEVILLE
242 R11 GROUP5 1m26.27 JOHN BLAYMIRES MOTO GUZZI T3
148 R4 GROUP4 1m26.48 CHRIS HYLAND TRIUMPH 3TA
He ran a best lap of 1 18.7 at Hampton Downs on methanol. Chris would have beaten him but got a missfire on the Goldstar.
HAMPTON DOWNS - N.Z. Classic Motorcycle Racing Register printed 4:35
GROUP 8: SENIOR TT
24 October 2010 Race No. 26 4:13pm to 4:33pm
POS. BIKE RIDER MAKE-OF-BIKE LAPS ELAPSED BEST-LAP DIFF.
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1ST 1 ANDREW STROUD NORTON MANX 15 19m20.43 1m15.33 +0.00s
2ND 500 TONY McQUEEN NORTON DOMINATOR 15 19m56.07 1m18.70 +35.64s
3RD 233 CHRIS SWALLOW BSA GOLDSTAR 15 20m03.30 1m17.59 +42.87s
4TH 135 WARREN MARSH MANX NORTON 15 20m38.25 1m21.47 +77.82s
5TH 85 GRAHAM PETERS BSA GOLDSTAR 14 19m53.25 1m23.97 +1 lap
6TH 10 DAVID MORLEY NORTON MANX 14 20m12.42 1m24.74 +1 lap
7TH 319 JOSHUA JONES ESTON 14 20m46.17 1m26.94 +1 lap
8TH 71 KEVIN CASTERTON BSA GOLDSTAR 13 20m23.38 1m32.50 +2 laps
9TH 414 STUART METGE NORTON DOMINATOR 12 19m32.78 1m36.01 +3 laps